First Notes Of School Year, First Notes For Physics, And First Breakdown Ft. Honors Pre-calculus …

Introduction to LaTeX!

No, not the rubbery plasticy stuff

LaTeX (pronounced “lay-tech”) is a free document-formatting system commonly used in STEM fields. This post is going to explain why it is really useful and where you can start!

So if you’re a STEM student, you’ve probably had to write a whole lot of lab reports and know how annoying it is to either figure out Word’s equation editor or screenshot a picture of whatever equation you’re trying to include in your report. Not to mention how awful Word is at formatting pictures, holding them in place and keeping things consistent. LaTeX solves most of those problems for you.

It works with some simple commands and packages that allow you to create journal-style articles, lab reports, and all sorts of other document types. You can include all sorts of mathematical and scientific symbols and equations and LaTeX formats them correctly for you. It might seem daunting at first, but most of the commands are very intuitive and you have a lot of easy customisation and consistent formatting. It can even do referencing for you. It has a lot of other cool things like generating a table of contents, automatically numbering your tables and figures, that contribute to producing a professional-looking scientific document.

All in all, the learning curve is very shallow, and the skill payoff is worth the small time investment it takes to learn. LaTeX typesetting is a very valuable skill to have in STEM.

Where to start:

There are dozens of downloadable LaTeX text editors, but I prefer to use an online one called Overleaf. It has several templates available for you to start from, provides shareable links, renders your document as you work, and, because it’s online, you can upload all your files to the server and work from anywhere.

I found the first chapter of this guice very helpful when I began using LaTeX  [x].

Some random tips I picked up so far:

1) Most problems/errors are easy to solve with a quick google search. Because LaTeX is so widely used, there are a LOT of stack exchange solutions to small problems. 

2) Manually creating LaTeX tables is a nightmare. It’s usually easiest to make them first in Excel, then copy-and-paste into an online LaTeX table generator.

3) Lots of journal articles have a pre-formatted bibtex citation linked somewhere. Using that citation works really well.

4) I like to open a text file, copy-and-paste all my bibtex formatted citations into it and convert it into a .bib file by renaming.

Some other useful links:

~LaTeX table generator [x]

~LaTeX reference generator [x]

~Find the LaTeX command for any symbol that you draw [x]

~List of mathematical symbols for LaTeX [x]

~LaTeX Stack Exchange [x]

I hope you find this helpful! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me an ask or a message. Check out my study instagram if you’re keen on seeing some of my studyspo. Happy studying!

xx Munira

behavioural and emotional patterns of living in abuse:

you spend most of your time shut in your room

you’re scared of footsteps approaching your door

you prefer not to come out unless there’s nobody home

when they come back you run to your room/safe place

you’re nervous and anxious if you have to spend time in presence of others

you try to get away from your home, you wish you could live somewhere else

your self-confidence is very low

you worry about making too much noise (have a feeling you’ll get yellet at or abused for it)

you try to move around as silently as possible and try to not be noticed by anyone

you feel uncomfortable and uneasy sitting at the same table as rest of family/housemates

you don’t feel like you belong here

you feel like a burden to your housemates

you don’t feel like you’re worth having around or supporting in any way

you don’t feel like anyone will ever love you or believe in you

you don’t feel like anything you do is good enough

you can’t stand someone watching you do things like cleaning or anything else you need to get done

you try really hard to still find good points about your life and cling to them

you strongly worry that you are somehow worse than anyone else

you feel like you’re behind on everyone and that you’re failing to live your life properly

you don’t feel like anything would have changed if you died, or even that it would be better if you did

if you’re experiencing most of this, you’re going through abuse. Your value isn’t in any way less than other humans, and you are absolutely not any kind of burden. You are human who is forced to live in a way humans aren’t meant to live. You are in living conditions that disable you from feeling happy, fulfilled, or even seeing yourself as a human being.  You are suffering. What is being done to you is not okay. You deserve better than this.

hello it’s me, your grad school fairy godmother, just dropping off a

grad school application spreadsheet

so you can stay organized & track your progress more easily. a gentle reminder because the Season is upon us: i have a rad school tag & a big list of previously-answered asks here. please check both before sending me an ask about the application process :-)

what tips would you give to someone who wants to learn a new language, or continue learning a language over the summer break?? any apps or websites, or ways to stay motivated?

Learning a new language or continuing learning is honestly something I struggle with simply because of my experience with bad teachers, BUT I can still give you some tips on what I’ve done to stay motivated so far.

Find a language you are passionate about!! If you’re burnt out on what you’re learning, find a new language to learn. It’s not ideal to start back in square one, but it’s okay to do so!

Make flash cards! Everyone recommends this, but you can make a game out of what you’re learning. If you’re on the go, I recommend downloading Tinycards. Since it’s owned by Duolingo, they have sets premade for your target language.

Watch videos. This has helped a lot with learning a new language for me. You can either watch educational videos where you’re being taught grammar or vocab or you can watch videos of people speaking in your target language.

Interact with the language! Watch movies, listen to music, etc. Find different genres you might not enjoy in your native language and try them your target language! You never know what new content you come across that you enjoy.

Google Translate is not your enemy. It’s okay to use it. It’s not what people want to hear, but it’s ok to use if you’re struggling with how to pronounce a word or if there’s a word you simply just don’t know.

Pace yourself. Work on your target language at least 15 minutes a day especially for new learners. It sounds daunting, but practice makes for motivation.

Some apps/websites I recommend:

Duolingo

Tinycards

Memrise

YouTube (Use this to learn the alphabet and numbers. Duolingo seems to not understand “beginner” means you’re a beginner.)

Leo

Google Translate

Spotify/Pandora

Netflix/Hulu

These are all pretty standard tips that I’ve seen, but I fully stand by all of them. More tips can be found at my Langblr @ess-tset under the tag #learning. I hope this helps!

5 Things to Probably Never Do on the SAT Essay

Qualifier: Rules are made to be broken, and those below are no exception. Having said that, here are some habits I’d recommend steering clear from on your SAT essay.

1. Probably never use the generic “you.”

Example: “You never know what kind of problems you might get into if you aren’t careful.”

Why this sentence isn’t great: It’s informal, and pretty general.

What to do instead: use “one” in place of “you.” As in, “One never knows what kind of problems one might get into if not careful.” Or, better yet, rewrite the sentence so you to avoid referring to an ambiguous, hypothetical person.

2. Probably never begin an essay with the words “Throughout history…”

Example: “Throughout history, many people have had many different beliefs.”

Why this sentence isn’t great: Again, it’s too general. There isn’t time enough to discuss all recorded history in 25 minutes. So don’t try.

What to do instead: Limit the scope of your argument. Start small, specific. (I’m not going to rewrite the sentence above, as it’d be better to delete it and re-think how to set up the thesis.)

3. Probably avoid generalizations and extreme language.

Example: “Horrible things happen to high school students all the time and they remember those things forever.”

Why this sentence isn’t great: Generalizations like this tend to be either impossible to prove or just plain wrong.

What you can do instead: Qualify your statement, which means to “limit,” “modify” or, as I like to say, “dial it back.”

Rewritten Example: “Certain negative high school experiences are likely to leave a lasting impression.” (Notice how “all” becomes “certain,” I’ve added “likely” and “forever” becomes “lasting impression.”)

A few more words on “qualifying” (because it’s really super important):

We tend to think of “qualifying” as “being eligible” for something. It sometimes mean that, but not here. In this case, I mean taking extreme words and limiting or restricting them. Examples:

Extreme word → Qualified version

“all” → “some” or “certain”

“everyone” → “many people” or better yet, “some people”

“always” → “often,” “in some cases,” “sometimes”

“never” → “rarely” or “seldom”

A few more examples: “My brother is always throwing things at people.” (or) “All men are evil.”

Why these sentences aren’t great: Because these statements aren’t true. And they’re impossible to prove. Read them again and imagine them literally.

Then imagine the evidence you’d need to prove them.

What you can do instead: Qualify ‘em! Dial ‘em back! “My little brother sometimes likes to throw things at people.” (or) “Some argue that all humans have the capacity to do evil.”

*Fun fact: Notice anything about the title of this blog post? #takingmyownadvice

4. Probably never use a hypothetical example.

Example: “When someone says something bad about you it’s like they’re judging you without knowing you.”

What’s not great about this sentence: A few things:

The generic “you.”

It’s general.

It’s a hypothetical example. In other words, it’s not citing something specific that actually happened, so it doesn’t really count as evidence.

What you can do instead: Write about something specific that actually happened. “Last week, when my friend Jac told me that the way I was dressed was “way too preppy,” I felt as if I were being judged.” See how specific?

5. Probably never cite facts without proving them.

Example: “The world is getting more peaceful every day.”

What’s not great about this sentence: Is that true? Can you prove it? How?

What you can do instead: Again, get more specific.

Rewritten example: “Using statistical analysis, psychologist Steven Pinker has argued that the gradual decrease of military conflict, genocide, homicide, torture, and other acts of violence over the last few centuries has led to the present era being the most peaceful time in human history.”

Here’s one more:

Unfounded claim:  “You have to see and hear something to learn about it.”

Rewritten:  “Last year in my AP Psych class we read an article that discussed a study in which some participants received information both visually and aurally while others received the same information only visually or aurally. It turned out that those who received both kinds of information were 20% more likely to retain that information a year later.”

Written by Ethan Sawyer

tips for graduate grants, awards, & fellowships

hello! usual disclaimer applies: i’m a phd student, not an expert. i work in an english department with a medical humanities project, so this advice may not apply to STEM folks, undergraduates, or to all fellowships or grants. use your own common sense & discretion. beneath the cut: 

finding the money

keeping track of the money 

actually applying for the money, feat. the world’s longest treatise on project proposals

soliciting (& receiving) letters of rec

Keep reading

yeah chem, its not like i have a social status to live up to. 112115.

2 am study sessions that become 1 am study sessions >>>>

5 sites every med student should know about!

Folllow my studygram:Studyspiration

When it comes to medicine, understanding the principles is key, however it might be quite difficult to understand even though you attend lectures and read all the chapters, which is pretty normal since most of the times neither professors or text books make any great sense - therefore these different sites, or youtube channels can help you out a great deal. Here are a collection of some that I have found useful and that pretty much everyone I know makes use of. 

1. Dr. Najeeb (https://www.drnajeeblectures.com/). You will often find medical students talking about this guy. He is probably what would be called a superhero between med students and that is for a good reason. His website features tons of videos that explains pretty much everything. He does it in an interactive way where he engages the audience and draws on the whiteboard so that you can follow along. This does cost money - however if you can split the bill between some of your friends, or you can use some other students login (if they are that generous ofcourse) 

2. Kenhub (https://www.kenhub.com/). Now this website is amazing for studying anatomy or the central nervous system (I think they are working on expanding their content, but this is what they have for now). It is very good because it gives you a simple overview over what you need to learn. The content on here consists of videos, articles and many quizesses which I loved during anatomy.

This website costs a monthly fee (there are also other options for payment), however you can split this with some friends as well, I shared my account with my study buddy. 

3. Khan academy (https://da.khanacademy.org/). You have probably stumbled across some of their videos on youtube, however they also have a website where all of these videos have been compiled and they have made up this “interactive” system where you gain points for finishing videos. this is for FREE. Yes you heard right free. 

4. Anatomy zone (Youtube channel) Now this is almost an essentiel for every semester that you do. In almost all of your courses you need a little bit of anatomy, and thankfully this youtube channel has got you covered. It is soo good! I mostly make use of this channel, because honestly they just do it so well and its free. 

5. Armando Hasudungan (Youtube channel). This very talented artist, makes all the medical concepts become illustrative and thereby making the understanding of the principles that we cannot see become more easy. 

Study hard, study smart and stay motivated, 

Love, 

Dunia

HOW TO WRITE A HIGH-GRADE RESEARCH PAPER

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The first time I had to write a research paper for university was one of the most stressful experiences I’d ever had - it was so different to anything I’d ever done before and caused me so much anxiety! It turned out that I’m pretty damn good at writing research reports and I’m now looking to pursue a career in psychological research. 

I have never received less than a First (or 4.0 GPA for you American studiers) in my research papers so I thought I’d share my top tips on how to write a kick-ass, high-grade research paper.

*disclaimer: I am a psychology student, my tips are based on my personal experience of writing up psychological research (quantitative and qualitative); therefore, they may require some adaptation in order to be applied to your field of study/research*

These tips will be split up into the different sections a research paper should consist of: abstract, introduction, methods, results, discussion, references and formatting.

ABSTRACT

The aim of an abstract is to summarise your whole paper - it should be concise, include key-words, highlight the key points of your paper and be written last.

When I say concise, I mean concise! The abstract is what other students and researchers will read in order to decide whether your research is relevant their own work and essentially determines whether or not they’ll read on - they want to know the key details and don’t want to be overwhelmed with information.

I always aim to keep my abstracts under 250 words. I set myself this limit to stop myself waffling and dwelling on unimportant points, it helps me to be really selective of what I include and ensures I’m gripping the reader from the start.

Your abstract should discuss the research rationale, the methods and designs used, your results and the general conclusion(s) drawn. One or two sentences on each of these topics is enough.

Make sure you’re using key-words throughout your abstract as this will also help the reader decide whether your work is relevant to theirs. You can make key-words super obvious by highlighting them in a key at the bottom of your abstract (see below) or just used jargon consistently. Using key-words is also important if you’re looking to get your work published, these words will help people find your work using search engines.

Finally, write your abstract last! An abstract is a summary of your whole research paper which makes it practically impossible to write well first. After writing the rest of your paper, you will know your research inside and out and already have an idea of what key things you need to highlight in your abstract.

INTRODUCTION

For me, the introduction section is always the most intimidating to write because it’s like painting on a blank canvas - massively daunting and leaving you terrified to make a mistake!

The aim of an introduction is to provide the rationale for your research and justify why your work is essential in the field. In general, your introduction should start very broad and narrow down until you arrive at the niche that is your research question or hypothesis.

To start, you need to provide the reader with some background information and context. You should discuss the general principle of your paper and include some key pieces of research (or theoretical frameworks if relevant) that helps your reader get up to speed with the research field and where understanding currently lies. This section can be pretty lengthy, especially in psychological research, so make sure all of the information you’re including is vital as it can be pretty easy to get carried away.

This background should lead you onto the rationale. If you’ve never written a research paper before, the rationale is essentially the reason behind your own research. This could be building on previous findings so our understanding remains up to date, it could be picking up on weaknesses of other research and rectifying these issues or it could be delving into an unexplored aspect of the field! You should clearly state your rationale and this helps lead into the next section.

You should end your introduction by briefly discussing your current research. You need to state your research question or hypothesis, how you plan on investigating the question/hypothesis, the sample you plan on using and the analysis you plan to carry out. You should also mention any limitations you anticipate to crop up so you can address these in your discussion.

In psychology, references are huge in research introductions so it is important to use an accurate (and modern as possible) reference for each statement you are making. You can then use these same references in your discussion to show where your research fits into the current understanding of the topic!

METHODS

Your methods section should make use of subheadings and tables where necessary and should be written in past tense. This can make the (potentially) lengthy section easier to navigate for the reader. I usually use the following headings: participants, materials, design, procedure.

The participants section should describe the sample that took part in your research. Age, gender, nationality and other relevant demographic information should be provided as well as the sampling technique. Personally, I use a table (see below) alongside my continuous prose as an alternative way of viewing my sample population. Please note, if you’re using a table make sure it adheres to your university guidelines.

The materials section of your methods should include any equipment, resources (i.e. images, books, diagrams) or any other materials used in your data collection. You should also reference the program that helped you conduct your analysis. For example, if you are writing a qualitative research paper, you may want to include Microsoft Word in your materials if you use the program to transcribe interviews.

You should then describe the design used in your research. All variables should be identified in this paragraph, if relevant. You should also discuss whether your research is within-groups or between-groups, again only if relevant.

Last is your procedure section - the most important one! You must write this section with enough detail so that anybody could pick it up, read it and conduct the same experiment with ease. You should describe what participants were required to do, how data was collected and it should be written in chronological order! While it’s important to provide enough information, try not to overwhelm the reader with lengthy sentences and unnecessary information.

RESULTS

Your results section’s sole purpose is to provide the reader with the data from your study. It should be the second shortest section (abstract being first) in your research paper and should stick to the relevant guidelines in regards to reporting figures, tables and diagrams. Your goal is to relay results in the most objective and concise way possible.

Your results section serves to act as evidence for the claims you’ll go on to make during your discussion but you must not be biased in the results you report. You should report enough data to sufficiently justify your conclusions but must also include data that doesn’t support your original hypothesis or research question. 

Reporting data is most easily done through tables and figures as they’re easy to look at and select relevant information. If you’re using tables and figures you should always make sure you’re stating effect sizes and p values and to a consistent decimal place. Illustrative tables and figures should always be followed by supporting summary text consisting of a couple of sentences relaying the key statistical findings in continuous prose.

DISCUSSION

The discussion section should take the opposite approach to your introduction! You should start discussing your own research and broaden the discussion until you’re talking about the general research field.

You should start by stating the major findings of your study and relating them back to your hypothesis or research questions. You must must must explicitly state whether you reject or accept your experimental hypothesis, if you have one. After stating your key findings you should explain the meaning, why they’re important and where they fit into the existing literature. It’s here that you should bring back the research you discussed in your introduction, you should relate your findings to the current understanding and state the new insight your research provides.

You should then state the clinical relevance of your research. Think about how your findings could be applied to real-life situations and discuss one or two practical applications.

After this, discuss the limitations of your research. Limitations could include sample size and general sample population and how this effects generalisability of findings, it could include methodological problems or research bias! These limitations will allow you to discuss how further research should be conducted. Suggest ways in which these limitations could be rectified in future research and also discuss the implications this could have on findings and conclusions drawn.

Finally, you need to give the reader a take-home message. A sentence or two to justify (again) the need for your research and how it contributes to current understanding in the field. This is the last thing your audience will read so make it punchy!

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That’s it folks! My tips for writing a kick-ass, high-grade research paper based on my personal experience. If you have any questions regarding things I’ve missed or didn’t provide enough detail of, then please just send me an ask!

Also, if any of you would like to read any of my past research papers I would be more than happy to provide you with them :-))